About
We live in a world where nearly all human knowledge can be reached through a device in our pockets.
But access is not ownership.
If connectivity disappears, much of that knowledge becomes unreachable — not destroyed, just out of reach. A lost connection, an outage, a remote valley, a classroom without a data plan.
Reinvent the Wheel began with a simple question: what if we could keep the most useful parts of the internet with us, on the devices we already own?
“Reinventing the wheel” usually means wasted effort — rebuilding something that already exists. We take that advice seriously: RTW is built from proven tools wherever they exist.
But the phrase hides a question. What happens when the knowledge of how to build the wheel isn't at hand? Sometimes reinventing it becomes necessary — and it's far easier with the right references nearby. RTW exists to keep the knowledge needed to understand, repair, build, teach and, if it comes to it, rebuild.
Useful knowledge deserves local copies, not just a link to a server somewhere else.
People should be able to keep and use information without depending on infrastructure they don't control.
Learning shouldn't stop when the connection does — especially where connectivity is scarce or expensive.
Everyday tools that keep working when conditions change are worth building before they're needed.
RTW is a young project. It's honest about what works today, and it isn't a substitute for emergency services or professional advice.
Directions the project wants to explore. None of these exist yet, and there are no dates. Ideas and help are welcome.
Linux and Windows hosts, using the same server design.
The first packs ship with rtw fetch; more categories, with licensing checked, to follow.
One search across Wikipedia, books and notes.
Tested, documented ways to keep large libraries on SD cards and USB drives.
Fewer steps, fewer prerequisites, ideally one tap.
Find a nearby library without typing an IP address.
The library app and the documentation in more languages.
Community-maintained reports of which devices work, and how well.
Offline courses for practical and technical skills.
RTW stands on the work of these projects and communities. Each keeps its own license; please respect them.
This website uses the Inter, Noto Sans Arabic and JetBrains Mono typefaces (SIL Open Font License) and is built with Astro.